Advice Needed: New Azalia Root Position in Tank

Hi All. Advice very much appreciated on the positioning of a new root I just picked up for my tank. Will rip up some of the plants too.

Position wise I'm thinking of left side of tank, removing large plant on left, rocks and other wood from left side. What orientation do you think would work best for this particular root? Topdown, sideways as per picture, from back of tank to front etc?

Thanks as ever.

Tank as is:



Root:

Hi Brian, the wood is awesome I'm thinking in turning it 180º and see how it looks...could you do it and take a pic of it? I'm also thinking in going to your place, and have a look in situ, it will be easier!

Aroshni wrote:

Hi Brian, the wood is awesome I'm thinking in turning it 180º and see how it looks...could you do it and take a pic of it? I'm also thinking in going to your place, and have a look in situ, it will be easier!

That would be brilliant if you wouldn't mind taking the time? Happy to pick you up if that helped? I'll take another pic in the meantime....

Here you go Lydia....





Then turned around: looks like a heart in this orientation but you can clearly see manmade wood cuts

Consider either hanging from the top down or alternatively go the left side of the tank sideways so that the longest part guides the eyes across the tank following it as such from left to right.(abit like the way you have it in the first pic but you may need to cut back the left part a little)butTank looks good enough so that the piece will add to it significantly also.

If you put the manmade cuts lying on the sand? Tomorrow or during the week if you want I can go there.

You could hide them in the sand but also if the manmade cuts are an issue abit of java moss over it will cover it quick enough if you are to grow plants on the roots.
Gavin

Just a word of warning, ive several large pieces of azalia root in a cat fish tank, they havd sharp ends and can damage fish, my shovel nose lost an eye from banging of it.

Fishowner wrote:

Consider either hanging from the top down or alternatively go the left side of the tank sideways so that the longest part guides the eyes across the tank following it as such from left to right.(abit like the way you have it in the first pic but you may need to cut back the left part a little)butTank looks good enough so that the piece will add to it significantly also.

+1 on that.
seems to big for a top down look like mine, but left to right exactly as positioned in first pics would give you a sense of "flow" from left to right.

and i would reduce amount of plants significantly to give the fish space to swim.

Miamiheat wrote:

and i would reduce amount of plants significantly to give the fish space to swim.

Thanks @fishowner, Lydia, Paul and Stephane.....

I think I agree from left to right will give 'flow' and prob work best given size of wood. I'm going to engender the help of Lydia to rearrange/remove some of my plants and rocks on that left side too.. I'm water logging it now but this could take quite some time given last experiences!!! Any more advice is always welcome. Cheers guys.

Water log it but even if its still floating consider weighing it down with something like a rock.i use either fishing line and tie wraps to keep wood down.also could use a tie wrap and suction cups to the side of the tank.Have them ready when you are putting it in as a buoyant piece of wood can cause wreck to plants when your trying to get it to stay in one place.

the way it is in your first pic - I'd spin it around clockwise till cut marks sit on the bottom - moving it to the right side of the tank ?

ABdarudeone wrote:

the way it is in your first pic - I'd spin it around clockwise till cut marks sit on the bottom - moving it to the right side of the tank ?

I think thats is the way too

Brian I'm not an expert but I'll help you! I would love to had someone giving me advice when doing my set ups.

Hi Guys. Quick update. Spent a few hours on the tank today. Uprooted Hygrophila on left hand side and wow this was one huge plant when I took it out - 2.0 feet tall and about a foot + wide. Removed most other plants on left too. Washed 5kg of new substrate and added it, mostly to this same side as wanted greater depth of substrate for future plants.

[Philippe (aka Inza) dropped me a line out of the blue offering me cuttings from his tank (I had asked him a few months back and was really appreciative of his non prompted offer - now you should see this mans tank! Simply Awesome More pics please Philppe!! It's nicer in person than in the pics. What a nice guy too....I digress].

Anyway, planted some of these on open left side and will use this side as a grow out area until wood is waterlogged....will add wood on this side and replant around it...

Lydia, you may not be an expert but you're way better at this than me so your help with new arrangement will be great! Two heads better than one....maybe you can come over and help me plant it and position wood etc....

Some pics of tank now:









Thanks to all for your help! All suggestions welcome.....

Clearer first pic...

What substrate are to you using? Color looks good for a beach I'm planning in my new my tank.

I put a layer of aquabasis to start and then covered it with a quartz like gravel from seahorse - nice and blond like a beach...

I can't rem exactly which one but this one looks close....
www.seahorseaquariums.com/No-57-Amber-15...o/Bernsteinkies/6062

They have a big selection at 2.50 a kilo....just needs a wash to get rid of dust and that's it....easy to keep clean too unlike sand...

Hope this helps.

Cool I'll have a look when I'm there. I hate that aquabasis stuff, get to close when gravel vaccing and boom loads of aquabasis lost!

Maybe it's just me!

Although in my next planted tank I plan not gravel vaccing at all. Just water changes!

I've never used this type of wood,it's the first time I have heard of it to be honest,but by the look of it in your pictures i'd say it would be impossible to soak/saturate/waterlog it so it would sink with a bark that hard............but to suspend it from the top using suction cups or cable ties if possible would be very straight forward and give a very natural "wood that just fell off the tree and floating along" look.

You will probably reply to this saying you took it out of the bath weighing a ton and it sunk straight to the bottom of the tank ha,but even so i'd still suspend it.............really nice piece of wood man

Ger

hello brian:

I personally would try to mix the piece with the tall plant on the right side of your tank for a more natural look. You don't want to have a piece of wood in a corner and a big plant on the other side it would look very weird imo.
Also i like the suction cup idea, you could just screw a few where the man made cut is done.

But before put it in, i would strongly tight some moss around, like Christmas moss. If you can't find some i might trim some ... It would look a lot more natural !

see you added the trims i gave you but i would recommend you to put the Alternanthera reineckii (the red plant) on the right (if it is not the mini one) more on the background as it will grow nicelly. The more light it receive, the redder and bushier it will grow Also this plant need nitrate and iron to be nice and red so make sure you check that out ^^

Was nice meeting you, maybe next time i'll see your tank

Inza wrote:

hello brian:

I personally would try to mix the piece with the tall plant on the right side of your tank for a more natural look. You don't want to have a piece of wood in a corner and a big plant on the other side it would look very weird imo.
Also i like the suction cup idea, you could just screw a few where the man made cut is done.

But before put it in, i would strongly tight some moss around, like Christmas moss. If you can't find some i might trim some ... It would look a lot more natural !

see you added the trims i gave you but i would recommend you to put the Alternanthera reineckii (the red plant) on the right (if it is not the mini one) more on the background as it will grow nicelly. The more light it receive, the redder and bushier it will grow Also this plant need nitrate and iron to be nice and red so make sure you check that out ^^

Was nice meeting you, maybe next time i'll see your tank

Really nice to meet you Philippe and thank you so much for your cuttings! As I mentioned earlier in this post, your tank is the absolute bomb and please post some more pics! I'm almost sure I put the mini on the right in foreground and all plants on left are only temporary - till they grow out a bit and stay alive (well maybe I'm hoping for too much here )

I'm beginning to think Ger might be right - this wood might take months to waterlog so going to use suction cups and rocks to weigh it down. I'm going to run with left side for wood but plant some fast growing large bushy plants behind it, in it and also tie moss too...hopefully it will integrate nicely within a month or so.....if you do find some moss I'll gladly take some off you. Lydia is giving me some too so hopefully I can pick up enough to make wood look natural enough...

Chat soon.

Brian

Gonefishy wrote:

Inza wrote:

hello brian:

I personally would try to mix the piece with the tall plant on the right side of your tank for a more natural look. You don't want to have a piece of wood in a corner and a big plant on the other side it would look very weird imo.
Also i like the suction cup idea, you could just screw a few where the man made cut is done.

But before put it in, i would strongly tight some moss around, like Christmas moss. If you can't find some i might trim some ... It would look a lot more natural !

see you added the trims i gave you but i would recommend you to put the Alternanthera reineckii (the red plant) on the right (if it is not the mini one) more on the background as it will grow nicelly. The more light it receive, the redder and bushier it will grow Also this plant need nitrate and iron to be nice and red so make sure you check that out ^^

Was nice meeting you, maybe next time i'll see your tank

Really nice to meet you Philippe and thank you so much for your cuttings! As I mentioned earlier in this post, your tank is the absolute bomb and please post some more pics! I'm almost sure I put the mini on the right in foreground and all plants on left are only temporary - till they grow out a bit and stay alive (well maybe I'm hoping for too much here )

I'm beginning to think Ger might be right - this wood might take months to waterlog so going to use suction cups and rocks to weigh it down. I'm going to run with left side for wood but plant some fast growing large bushy plants behind it, in it and also tie moss too...hopefully it will integrate nicely within a month or so.....if you do find some moss I'll gladly take some off you. Lydia is giving me some too so hopefully I can pick up enough to make wood look natural enough...

Chat soon.

Brian

+1 on that. I've used two pieces of this before and it can be an absolute stinker to soak. Just takes time though

LemonJelly wrote:

Gonefishy wrote:

Inza wrote:

hello brian:

I personally would try to mix the piece with the tall plant on the right side of your tank for a more natural look. You don't want to have a piece of wood in a corner and a big plant on the other side it would look very weird imo.
Also i like the suction cup idea, you could just screw a few where the man made cut is done.

But before put it in, i would strongly tight some moss around, like Christmas moss. If you can't find some i might trim some ... It would look a lot more natural !

see you added the trims i gave you but i would recommend you to put the Alternanthera reineckii (the red plant) on the right (if it is not the mini one) more on the background as it will grow nicelly. The more light it receive, the redder and bushier it will grow Also this plant need nitrate and iron to be nice and red so make sure you check that out ^^

Was nice meeting you, maybe next time i'll see your tank

Really nice to meet you Philippe and thank you so much for your cuttings! As I mentioned earlier in this post, your tank is the absolute bomb and please post some more pics! I'm almost sure I put the mini on the right in foreground and all plants on left are only temporary - till they grow out a bit and stay alive (well maybe I'm hoping for too much here )

I'm beginning to think Ger might be right - this wood might take months to waterlog so going to use suction cups and rocks to weigh it down. I'm going to run with left side for wood but plant some fast growing large bushy plants behind it, in it and also tie moss too...hopefully it will integrate nicely within a month or so.....if you do find some moss I'll gladly take some off you. Lydia is giving me some too so hopefully I can pick up enough to make wood look natural enough...

Chat soon.

Brian

+1 on that. I've used two pieces of this before and it can be an absolute stinker to soak. Just takes time though

Hi Lemon, that's good to know that it will eventually waterlog. How long did yours take - roughly?

Thanks!

I kept rocks on top mine for atleast 3 months before it stoped floating.

Gonefishy wrote:

LemonJelly wrote:

Gonefishy wrote:

Inza wrote:

hello brian:

I personally would try to mix the piece with the tall plant on the right side of your tank for a more natural look. You don't want to have a piece of wood in a corner and a big plant on the other side it would look very weird imo.
Also i like the suction cup idea, you could just screw a few where the man made cut is done.

But before put it in, i would strongly tight some moss around, like Christmas moss. If you can't find some i might trim some ... It would look a lot more natural !

see you added the trims i gave you but i would recommend you to put the Alternanthera reineckii (the red plant) on the right (if it is not the mini one) more on the background as it will grow nicelly. The more light it receive, the redder and bushier it will grow Also this plant need nitrate and iron to be nice and red so make sure you check that out ^^

Was nice meeting you, maybe next time i'll see your tank

Really nice to meet you Philippe and thank you so much for your cuttings! As I mentioned earlier in this post, your tank is the absolute bomb and please post some more pics! I'm almost sure I put the mini on the right in foreground and all plants on left are only temporary - till they grow out a bit and stay alive (well maybe I'm hoping for too much here )

I'm beginning to think Ger might be right - this wood might take months to waterlog so going to use suction cups and rocks to weigh it down. I'm going to run with left side for wood but plant some fast growing large bushy plants behind it, in it and also tie moss too...hopefully it will integrate nicely within a month or so.....if you do find some moss I'll gladly take some off you. Lydia is giving me some too so hopefully I can pick up enough to make wood look natural enough...

Chat soon.

Brian

+1 on that. I've used two pieces of this before and it can be an absolute stinker to soak. Just takes time though

Hi Lemon, that's good to know that it will eventually waterlog. How long did yours take - roughly?

Thanks!

nearly 6 weeks

paulv wrote:

I kept rocks on top mine for atleast 3 months before it stoped floating.

Thanks Paul. No point in me trying to do this outside my tank then - I may as well just add it in and replant the plants I've just planted! Lydia, if you are still up for helping me it would be great. Anyone got spare moss, I'd greatly appreciate it as want to tie moss along some of the main branches as suggested by many over last few days?

Thanks....

Sure Brian, I'll help you just send me a text the day after so I can trim the moss.

Last moss I gave you was java but the one I have in the central piece of bogwood is triangle, that one is like flame but straight instead of waving.

Aroshni wrote:

Sure Brian, I'll help you just send me a text the day after so I can trim the moss.

Last moss I gave you was java but the one I have in the central piece of bogwood is triangle, that one is like flame but straight instead of waving.

You're a star Lydia....thanks!!

LemonJelly wrote:

Gonefishy wrote:

LemonJelly wrote:

Gonefishy wrote:

Inza wrote:

hello brian:

I personally would try to mix the piece with the tall plant on the right side of your tank for a more natural look. You don't want to have a piece of wood in a corner and a big plant on the other side it would look very weird imo.
Also i like the suction cup idea, you could just screw a few where the man made cut is done.

But before put it in, i would strongly tight some moss around, like Christmas moss. If you can't find some i might trim some ... It would look a lot more natural !

see you added the trims i gave you but i would recommend you to put the Alternanthera reineckii (the red plant) on the right (if it is not the mini one) more on the background as it will grow nicelly. The more light it receive, the redder and bushier it will grow Also this plant need nitrate and iron to be nice and red so make sure you check that out ^^

Was nice meeting you, maybe next time i'll see your tank

Really nice to meet you Philippe and thank you so much for your cuttings! As I mentioned earlier in this post, your tank is the absolute bomb and please post some more pics! I'm almost sure I put the mini on the right in foreground and all plants on left are only temporary - till they grow out a bit and stay alive (well maybe I'm hoping for too much here )

I'm beginning to think Ger might be right - this wood might take months to waterlog so going to use suction cups and rocks to weigh it down. I'm going to run with left side for wood but plant some fast growing large bushy plants behind it, in it and also tie moss too...hopefully it will integrate nicely within a month or so.....if you do find some moss I'll gladly take some off you. Lydia is giving me some too so hopefully I can pick up enough to make wood look natural enough...

Chat soon.

Brian

+1 on that. I've used two pieces of this before and it can be an absolute stinker to soak. Just takes time though

Hi Lemon, that's good to know that it will eventually waterlog. How long did yours take - roughly?

Thanks!

nearly 6 weeks

Wow....no matter how many en suites we have I don't think my good wife would be too happy with this beautiful specimen of wood sitting, water logging in her bathroom for 6-8 weeks well, I might just find myself floating in it face down if I tried